A viral video showing 18-year-old Louisiana teen Cameron Robbins jumping into the water off a cruise boat in the Bahamas has raised concerns that he might have encountered a shark.
One man wrote on Twitter, sharing the video and a screenshot, “Haunting, but you can see the exact moment the shark gets him. Tragic & scary in every way. #cameronrobbins #Bahamas.” However, in the comment thread, other people disputed that Robbins was killed by a shark. One person wrote in the comment thread, “Not gonna lie, i don’t see it. To me it looks like he’s kicking and his foot breached the water and made a splash.”
“Near the end of the video, you can hear a subtle scream of agony. He also abruptly swims the other direction in a hurry as if he was trying to get away,” the Twitter user, Steve Johnson, wrote. Daily Mail reported that a shark would explain why Robbins appears to swim away from life preservers once in the water.
Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) Commodore Raymond King said in a news conference that the area where Robbins, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, went overboard is “really shark infested.” He said the possibility of intoxication could impair judgment. “It’s so unfortunate,” King said, adding that drones and divers were involved in trying to find Robbins or his remains.
You can see the video and screenshot later in this article, but be forewarned that they are disturbing, and the caption uses graphic language also. “None of us know if that was a shark or not. Too tough to tell,” concluded another Twitter user. But others believe that’s what you can see.
Here’s what you need to know:
Cameron Robbins Was on the Blackbeard’s Revenge Sunset Cruise Ship When He Went Overboard
@Sportsgeek22 Oh yeah. Wow. That’s awful.
The U.S. Coast Guard said in a press release that the Coast Guard “concluded its search efforts while assisting the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Friday, for a missing 18-year-old man near Nassau, Bahamas. Missing is Cameron Robbins, a recent high school graduate.” His body was not found.
WAFB-TV reported that Robbins, a high school baseball player, was on a trip for his graduation.
“Video taken immediately afterwards shows Robbins splashing in the water, a few feet from the boat. He then disappeared,” WAFB confirmed. According to The New York Post, Robbins may have jumped overboard on a dare.
According to the release, Royal Bahamas Defence Force personnel “contacted Coast Guard District Seven watchstanders, Wednesday, at 11:30 p.m. reporting the man fell off the Blackbeard’s Revenge sunset cruise ship and entered the water.”
According to the Coast Guard, “District Seven watchstanders launched ready aircrews and developed search patterns to assist the Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s search and rescue efforts. Coast Guard crews searched more than 325 square miles.”
“U.S. Coast Guard District Seven deployed multiple search and rescue assets in response to an agency assistance request from our partners in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Our Coast Guard command center and aircrews based in Miami supported RBDF search and rescue efforts since the initial report Wednesday evening, and continued through Friday evening,” said Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Spado, Coast Guard liaison officer to the Bahamas, in the release.
“We were informed by the RBDF this evening that they were suspending the active search efforts pending further developments, and were not requesting further Coast Guard assistance after notifying the Robbins family. We offer our sincerest condolences to Cameron Robbins’ family and friends.”
The United Cajun Navy Joined in the Search for Cameron Robbins
The United Cajun Navy joined in the search for Robbins. In a press release posted to its Facebook page, the United Cajun Navy wrote:
On May 24, 2023 the United Cajun Navy was contacted by a family friend of Cameron Robbins of Baton Rouge, LA, with an alert that the young man had gone missing off a vessel near Althol Island. Because of the missing person being both a US citizen and a minor, we knew that there were certain protocols outside of our normal deployment procedures that would have to be followed.
On May 25th, UCN Vice President and National Spokesman Brian Trascher spoke with representatives from the US Embassy in Nassau, as well as the US Coast Guard in Nassau. These and other local officials were alerted that UCN had already deployed volunteer Bahamian vessels and aircraft near the coordinates where Cam Robbins was last seen.
UCN also learned that the parents of Robbins had been in contact with US Representative Garrett Graves (Louisiana 6th District) to arrange emergency travel to the Bahamas. UCN arranged for the lodging of the Robbins family while they were meeting with local Bahamian investigators. UCN also arranged for a charter boat to take the Robbins’ out to the MOB area, as well as other parts of the search area where US and Bahamian officials had been working since early on May 24th. On Sunday, May 28th, the Robbins family returned to Baton Rouge.
“Cameron was from my home town of Baton Rouge, and although the outcome was not what we expected, it was an honor and privilege to work alongside Bahamian officials MP Frederick McAlpine, Mr. Clayton Fernander, Commissioner of Police, ACP. Kenwood Taylor, Crime Management and Criminal Investigations,” Todd Terrell, Founder and President of the United Cajun Navy, said in the release.
“I hope we were able to help bring closure to the family and friends of Cameron by knowing everyone did everything possible to locate him,” Taylor continued. “Not every search in large waterway areas results in a recovery, but knowing so many people dropped everything on a holiday weekend to help with this search is a positive way to bring closure to families and friends.”